Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei feels Ghanaians should be measured in their praise of Mahama
Renowned Ghanaian economist and former Director-General of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Professor Emeritus Stephen Adei, has cautioned Ghanaians against prematurely praising President John Dramani Mahama for his performance in the first 120 days of his administration.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Prof Adei urged citizens to adopt a measured perspective, citing the disappointing trajectory of the previous Akufo-Addo government as a lesson.
Prof Adei noted that while President Mahama’s early performance may appear commendable, particularly when contrasted with the Akufo-Addo administration’s second term, Ghanaians should remain cautious.
“I think that the Akufo-Addo government in the second term did so badly that we must be very careful overpraising John in 120 days because the first term of Akufo-Addo, he performed very well and then almost everybody’s hopes were dashed with every indicator, economic management, corruption, everything else almost going down the sink,” he said.
He emphasised that the sharp decline in economic management and governance during Akufo-Addo’s second term made it easy to view Mahama’s initial efforts favorably.
However, as a lifelong public servant, Prof Adei stressed the importance of objectivity, stating, “If you are a true Ghanaian, and some of us have been public servants all our lives, we can only wish John and the NDC well. Because their success will be our success.”
Prof Adei, who previously served as Chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), called for patience in evaluating the Mahama administration’s long-term impact.
His comments come as President Mahama marked 120 days in office, highlighting progress on key campaign promises, including reopening investigations into unresolved criminal cases such as the 2020 Election violence and the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence of 2019.
According to President Mahama, his government has kept to its word by fulfilling some 25 core promises made to Ghanaian electorates ahead of the December 2024 election.
GA/AE